Synopses & Reviews
A comprehensive baking bible for the twenty-first century from the James Beard nominee who has redefined American baking–with 120 scientifically grounded recipes for sweet and savory baked goods anyone can master.
Melissa Weller is the trendsetting baker of the decade, the baking superstar of our time. Her takes on chocolate babka and sticky buns brought these classics back to life with a vengeance, kicking off nationwide trends. Now, in her first book, she shares 120 meticulously honed, carefully detailed recipes for producing impossibly delicious baked goods. A chemical engineer before she became a baker, Weller uses her scientific background to explain the whys of baking as much as the hows, so home cooks can achieve perfect results every time. Here are recipes both sweet (Pumpkin Layer Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream and Brown Sugar Frosting) and savory (Khachapuri with Cheese, Baked Egg, and Nigella Seeds); beloved classics (laminated dough croissants) and new sure-to-be favorites (Milk Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies)–as well as Chocolate Babka and Salted Caramel Sticky Buns, of course... all perfected for even the most novice home baker to re-create. In every essential way, here is the home baking guide that every home baker needs.
Review
“The first time I had one of Melissa Weller’s bagels at High Street on Hudson, I was absolutely floored. I’m not the most confident baker, which is why I’m especially thrilled to make my way through Weller’s carefully constructed only-what-you-need-to-know recipes for pies, cakes, cookies, and more. It’s a hefty volume—nearly 500 pages—which is good, because I’ll have a lot of time on my hands this fall and winter.” Food & Wine Magazine
Synopsis
From the James Beard Award nominee, a comprehensive baking bible for the twenty-first century, with 120 scientifically grounded recipes for sweet and savory baked goods anyone can master. A very good combination: Baking science all of us can understand and a splendid collection of recipes. . . . A baker's must " --Dorie Greenspan, author of Dorie's Cookies and Everyday Dorie
Melissa Weller is the baking superstar of our time. As the head baker at some of the best restaurants in the country, her takes on chocolate babka and sticky buns brought these classics back to life and kicked off a nationwide movement.
In A Good Bake, Weller shares her meticulously honed, carefully detailed recipes for producing impossibly delicious--and impossibly beautiful--baked goods. A chemical engineer before she became a baker, Weller uses her scientific background to explain the whys and hows of baking, so home cooks can achieve perfect results every time. Here are recipes both sweet (Pumpkin Layer Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream and Brown Sugar Frosting) and savory (Khachapuri with Cheese, Baked Egg, and Nigella Seeds); beloved classics (Croissants and Chocolate Babka) and new sure-to-be favorites (Milk Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies)--as well as Salted Caramel Sticky Buns, of course . . . all written and tested for even the most novice home baker to re-create.
With gorgeous photographs by the award-winning Johnny Miller, and tutorials that demystify all of the stuff that sounds complicated, like working with yeast, sourdough starters, and laminating dough Weller's book is the one guide every home baker needs.
About the Author
Melissa Weller received a James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Baker in 2016. A French Culinary Institute graduate, she trained at Babbo and Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. She was chef-partner at High Street on Hudson; head baker at Per Se, Bouchon Bakery, and Roberta's; an owner and founder of Sadelle's; and the head baker at Walnut Street Café in Philadelphia. She lives in Brooklyn.
Carolynn Carreño is a James Beard award-winning journalist, the author of the cookbook Bowls of Plenty, and the co-author of thirteen cookbooks. She lives in San Diego and Mexico City.